SHC orders replacement of ineligible officials

Directs govt to issue appointment letter for Naseem Ahmed Memon as BISE, Larkana head

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court directed the provincial chief secretary and Sindh Food Authority (SFA) secretary on Saturday to personally monitor wheat distribution in the province and replace ineligible officials with eligible ones to ensure the fair distribution of wheat.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Irfan Saadat Khan and Justice Adnanul Karim Memon, issued the order on a plea pertaining to the unfair distribution of wheat in Sindh and alleged corruption in the distribution of the produce.

The petitioners stated in the plea that commissioned officers posted for wheat distribution had been suddenly replaced by ranker officials. They claimed ranker officials were appointed in place of commissioned officials so as to facilitate corruption in the distribution of wheat. Besides, the petitioners contended that they had been transferred from their posts for the same purpose.

In the order issued on the plea, the court directed the Sindh chief secretary and SFA secretary to remove ineligible officials and appoint eligible ones, personally monitor wheat distribution and take strict action against any person guilty of irregularities in the distribution.

"There should be fair wheat distribution under any circumstances," the court stated.

On the petitioners' transfers, the court stated that it was not a basic human rights issue and the petitioners may approach the Sindh Services Tribunal on the matter.

The court directed the relevant persons to provide the copies of the order to the Sindh chief secretary and SFA secretary.

BISE, Larkana chairperson

The same bench directed the provincial government to issue an appointment letter for Naseem Ahmed Memon as the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Larkana chairperson.

The decision was taken over a plea against the failure to issue an appointment letter despite reports from different intelligence agencies which cleared Naseem. The assistant advocate general opposed the appointment of Naseem on the government's behalf, arguing that the latter did not maintain a good reputation.

On the other hand, Memon's counsel claimed his client had been declared eligible for the post. He told the court that Memon resigned from Karampur Cadet College after receiving an offer letter on August 21, 2020.

The lawyer said two intelligence agencies cleared his client, but objections were later raised through a special report sent to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. He contended that the document contained no signatures.

The additional chief secretary maintained that a fresh report could be sought with the court's permission. The bench rejected the request and ordered the Sindh government to issue an appointment letter for Naseem.

The judges questioned how an appointment could be deferred on the basis of an unsigned special report; that too after Memon had been cleared by two intelligence agencies.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2021.